Tingting Xia, Phd, DVM (Surgical Intern)

“I worked in the human biomedical field as a scientist for several years before becoming a veterinarian. I have had the gift of taking care of animals since childhood. At one point, I was even thinking of animal rescue as my part-time job, but I realized that I wanted to put all my effort and rest of my life into helping animals and the people who love them. I would like to work every day with people who have the same idea and goals. I realized my dream at veterinary school.

I think I wanted to be a surgeon before I knew I would become a vet. When I worked in the research field, there were some procedures during experiments such as the placement of a cannula in the skull of a mouse or rat, dissection of specific neurons from brain tissue or specific muscle tissue from the body etc. Surgery is very rewarding to me. Sometimes surgery is the best way to save animals who have a life-threatening injury or return function back quickly and relieve pain and suffering of animals.”